Waitomo gloworm caves questions

We are on Holland America Oosterdam with a port stop in Tauranga February 23 from 8am to 7pm. It looks like the ship will offer an excursion to the Waitomo caves for a boat ride to see the gloworms followed by a country lunch and a visit to Kiwi house.

We would rather combine the gloworm caves with a quick visit to geothermal areas and/or waterfalls. Is this possible in the time allotted? We have 4 adults and are open to private tours/drivers but probably would not want to drive ourselves. Any recommendations? Also, there seem to be several different gloworm cave operators. Which is best?

I am eager to hear the responses as well. We are also considering a tour down from Auckland for the day to see it all!

Karen

This is simply my opinion and I am sure there will be others whose views will be different from mine.

On my first visit to Auckland, I also took the HAL tour to Waitomo Caves. It was an enjoyable tour allowing one to see some of the beautiful countryside. (I have said for a long time that the New Zealand chlorophyll is much more "green" than we have in North America. Simply lovely!) We had a delicious Roast Leg of Lamb lunch at a sheep farm. Very gracious, friendly hosts as all New Zealanders are! I do not recall a Kiwi House (whatever that is) visit.

The Gloworm cave visit was OK. Nothing more. If one has some mobility issues or is unsteady on one's feet, the entering and exiting the small boats could be a challenge. People are there to help. But...! I was hoping I would not end-up in the water when I entered the boat. And, I didn't. But, I was 12 years younger then. Not sure what would happen now.

For me, it was a one-time experience, not worth repeating again.

The geothermal area is of interest and our guide was very informative. We got quite close to some of the hot, bubbling areas.

Whether those areas can be combined, I do not know. I think the caves are some distance from the geothermal area which is some distance from where Tauranga is located. From Auckland, either ought to be able to be visited in a one day's visit.

If one enjoys wine, do NOT forget there are many wine tours available in New Zealand. I enjoyed one on my last visit to Auckland that I would gladly repeat.

Tauranga Port to Waitomo Caves is about 2 hours by car.

Waitomo Caves to Rotorua is another 2 hours by car.

Rotorua back to Tauranga Port is another hour.

Allow an hour to see through the caves (assuming you can get into a tour immediately) and at least an hour to see through a geothermal area.

So a minimum of 7 hours and realistically more like 8-9 hours, would be required.

Going down from Auckland would be even longer to do both the glowworm caves and a geothermal experience in one day.

If you check other threads on this board I'm sure there were some good recommendations for private tour operators in those threads.

Thanks! The tour I am looking at is about 13 hours from Auckland and back- hitting Hobbitron and caves. I was hoping to hit the Geothermal stop on our cruise port day. On a cruise you don't get the interior of New Zealand so 3 hours on a bus to & fro is okay. Is this realistic? I get basically 2 days to see this. I may never be back. What is best?

Thanks! Karen

If you are asking whether the Waitomo Glowworm Cave or the Rotorua thermal area is "better", I would have to say, having done both of them twice, that I found the thermal area more interesting. We did, however, have the luxury of visiting the thermal areas on our own (with a guided tour at Whakarewarewa) so we could see everything at our own pace. You might not be able to do the same.

There are 5 main thermal areas around Rotorua, so try to visit as many as possible on your tour as they are all different.

http://www.rotorua.nz.com/geothermal.aspx

Thanks! The tour I am looking at is about 13 hours from Auckland and back- hitting Hobbitron and caves. I was hoping to hit the Geothermal stop on our cruise port day. On a cruise you don't get the interior of New Zealand so 3 hours on a bus to & fro is okay. Is this realistic? I get basically 2 days to see this. I may never be back. What is best?

Thanks! Karen

You don't have to go far from the coast to see the interior of NZ ;) :D. Both your tour ideas are very realistic.

The Hobbiton / Waitomo Caves tour from Auckland is probably a good one. I have seen some discussion about this on another thread.

And Rotorua, where the geothermal parks are, is close to Tauranga so very doable on your port day there. Again, there have been lots of recommendations for tour operators on other threads.

Hope you manage to find great tours and have a lovely time in NZ.

Is it possibly to do the Rotorua tour from the Auckland dock?

If so, how long would the tour take, and would it include anywhere else?

Is it possibly to do the Rotorua tour from the Auckland dock?

If so, how long would the tour take, and would it include anywhere else?

There are tours - just google "Auckland Rotorua day tour" but they probably wouldn't fit in with an Auckland port stop day. It takes 2.5-3 hours to drive to Rotorua from Auckland, let alone do any sightseeing there.

We have also given up on seeing the Glow caves. Would it be possible to do another cave from another port? ie: Jenolen or Hastings? thanks,

We have also given up on seeing the Glow caves. Would it be possible to do another cave from another port? ie: Jenolen or Hastings? thanks,

There are some glowworm caves in the Bay of Islands, about 20 minutes drive from Paihia. http://kawiticaves.co.nz/

If you contacted them they may be able to tell you if there are any tours that go there, otherwise you'd have to rent a car.

Thank you for your help OzKiwiJJ